The St. Louis Blues picked Jake Allen as their goaltender during the playoffs last season, leading many to believe that he was the team’s top goaltender. Some solid play from Brian Elliott this preseason should have quieted that speculation, culminating with Elliott being named the starter for the opener against Edmonton.
Though Elliott will lead the Blues out for the opener, Allen will still see plenty of time. The official site for the Blues has confirmed that the two goaltenders will split the time between the pipes at least for the first month (or so) of the new season.
Realistically, this is the only way the Blues can approach the situation. Both goaltenders need to get some playing time during the early going so that the Blues avoid a scenario in which someone goes down with an injury and the other isn’t ready to slide in and tackle the workload.
At the very least, the Blues will give both goalies a chance to push each other for the starting gig. Neither will likely ever exceed a 60-40 split barring an injury, so it’s important to give both netminders time in October.
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